Eyeglass construction



June 10, 1941. Q uu 2,244,922

EYEGLAss CONSTRUCTION Original Filed March 18, 1938 xga pg EQ-iELINVENTOR.

Ou vez Ewo ATTORNEY.

Patented June 10, 1941 EYEGLASS CONSTRUCTION Oliver Ruud, Minneapoli s,Minn., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Uhlemann Optical 00. of Illinois, Chicago, 111., acorporation of Delaware Substituted for abandoned application Serial No.

196,674, March 18, 1938.

10, 1939, Serial No.

4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in eyeglasses.

This application is filed as a substitute for my application Serial No.196,674, filed March 18, 1938.

A primary object is to provide an assembly in which the lenses may besupported without the use of screws, solder, or similar means, and withthe supports at only one edge of the lenses, thus eliminating thedifficulty hitherto experienced due to the lenses becoming loosened intheir supports and being broken due to strain at opposite ends of thelenses.

Another, and important, object of the invention is to provide asupporting frame structure for eyeglasses wherein the temples or bowsare carried directly by the nose piece or bridge, without any connectionwhatsoever with the outer sides of the lenses, and in which the bridgecarries the clips or mounting means which are secured only to the innerlateral edges of the lenses. In this manner the lenses are freed of theusual twisting stress which is placed on them along their horizontalaxis due to the usual connection of the bridge and the temples toopposite sides of the lenses. As a result, strains of any kind placed onthe temples will be transmitted directly to the bridge and will have noeffect on the lenses such as would cause them to be broken.

A further object is to provide a lens mounting in which the lens isgrooved adjacent one edge and is fitted into a channel-like clip havingcomplementary, registering grooves whereby a key or pin may be insertedendwise into the grooves to thereby secure the lens against displacementin the clip. Then, upon removing the pin, the lens may be readilyslipped edgewise from the clip when desired. This assembly has thedistinct advantage over the usual screwless mounting, wherein the clipitself fits into the grooves in the lens; in that the lens need not beworked out of the end of the clip, but may instead be readily removededgewise from the clip with much less danger of breakage.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will bemade apparent in the course of the following detailed specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a frontal elevation of eyeglasses embodying myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental cross section along the line 3-3 inFig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental frontal elevation of one lens removed from theframe, and showing the mounting groove therein.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of one This application May lensmounting clip, showing one temple support bar and a portion of thebridge.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the key or pin employed inconnection with the clip of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a frontal elevation of a single lens showing a modified formof mounting clip thereon.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the clip shown in Fig. 7. I

Fig. 9 is an enlarged crosssection along the line 99 in Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the keys or pins usedin the clip of Fig. 8.

Referring now with more particularity to the drawings, the referencecharacters 'A andB indicate the two lenses of the eyeglasses and thesemay be of any shape or size desired. Preferably, however, they areformed with their inner and upper corners cut off at an angle as'shownat II and they are provided with straight grooves I2 extended parallelwith these edges II on both the frontal and rear faces. The bridge ornose piece I3, which is shaped to fit orextend over the nose of thewearer, is affixed at its laterally turned ends to a pair of lensmounting clips or members I4 and I5 so arranged relative to the bridgethat they will stand at the same angle as the edges II of the'lenses Aand B. These clips I4 and I5 are of channel shape, or are U-shaped incross section, and their channels I6 are turned outwardly to fit overthe said edges II of the lenses. In this position the walls ll of theclips I4 and I5 overlie the grooves I2 and the inner sides of thesewalls are provided with complementary grooves I8 which extend lengthwiseof the clips and will'register with the aforesaid grooves I2 as clearlyshown. U-shaped keys or pins I9 are then provided and have their legs 20so spaced that they may be inserted endwise down through the registeringgrooves I2 and I8 at front and rear of the lenses to thereby secure thelenses in the clips. The pins I9 are of such length that they willextend entirely through the grooves and the bights 2| may then be outoff or if retained will come to rest on the upper edges of the lenses toform a finishedappearance.

Attention is directed to the fact that the width of the channels I6 issuch that they willjust nicely receive the edges II of the lenses, sothat the lenses may be readily inserted edgewise into the open sides ofthe channels. Then, after the pins I9 are put in place as described, thelenses will be held rigidly against displacement in the clips. Tofurther aid in holding the lenses in place, they may becoated alongtheir edges II with a cement of the kind usually employed in this field.This cement may be softened by heating and thus, by removing the pinsI9, the lenses may be readily removed from the clipssimply by pullingthem straightaway from the clips.

The lens mounting thus described supports the lenses rigidly on thebridge l3 and employs no screws for the support. As a result, the lenseswill not become loosened and will require no.

attention from time to time as is the case'where screws are used. Theuse of the separate pins IQ for securing the lenses in the clips is ofadvantage in that, when these pins are removed, the lenses are entirelyfreed from the clips and rightv angles or upset to hold them in place asmay be removed or replaced without danger of breakage. In the case ofprior art mountings of a similar nature and with which I am familiar,

the clips themselves are arranged to fit the grooves in the lenses and,as a result, the lenses must be worked endwise out of the clips whichvery frequently causes them to be broken during this operation. a

The lower ends of the clips l4 and I5 carry the curved arms 22 which arefastened to the usual nose rests or pads 23. These arms 22 may be brazedor otherwise secured to the clips as may be desired.

The temples are ordinarily mounted and supported from the outer ends orsides of the lenses so that they may extend straightly back to the earsof the wearer of the eyeglasses. However,

this mounting of the temples not only requires 1 lens fittings at theouter sides of the lenses, but what is more important, causes a strainor stress to be placed along thehorizontal axes of the lenses wheneverthe temples are moved or struck in anyway. As a result, the lensesarevery often broken from this cause.

In accordance with this invention the temples 24 and 25 are supportedentirely from the bridge ill, by means of temple bars or support arms 26and 21 which are secured at their inner ends to the clips l4 and i5 andextend outwardly along, and rearwardly of, the upper margins of thelenses A and B. The free outer ends 28 of these temple bars 26 and 21are then provided with the usual hinge connections 29 to support thefrontal ends of the temples 24 and 25, as shown. It will be noted thatthe temple bars 26 and 21 clear the lenses A and B a substantialdistance 30 in Figure 2, and have no connection whatsoever with thelenses except through the clips l4 and I5. Therefore, the lenses arenot, and cannot be, subjected to. any twisting oraxial strain when thetemples are jarred, and the clips [4 and I5 need only support theweightof the lenses themselves. The lenses will thus. maintain their properalignment at all times and will not be readily broken. 7

The bridge I3 and the temple bars 26 and 21 maybe secured to the clipsl4 and I5 in any suitable manner, as by brazing as indicated at 3|, andit will also be evident that the temple barsmay, if desired, be formedas integral extensions of the bridge. 7

A modified form oflens mounting is shown in Figures '7 through 10,'andthis is particularly suited to a lens A having a rounded inner edge Ha;The clip Ida is'divided into two channelshaped sections lb and I whichare joined by an arcuated strip 32- and these sections fit nicelyoverthe edge Ha'of the lens at spaced points. The lens A has twostraightly extended grooves Ho and I2!) in its frontal face adjacent theedge Ila and the clip sections Mb and I40 have comwill be readilyapparent. This form of lens mounting has pins at only one side of thelens but still serves to rigidly hold the lens in place. The bridge l3and temple supporting bars 26 and 21. may. be employed with this form ofclip in the manner hereinbefore described.

While I have herein set forth certain preferred embodiments of myinvention it is understood that I may vary from the same in details, soas best to provide a practical device for the purposes intended,provided that such variations lie within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is: 1. An ophthalmic lens having anelongated facial groove adjacent an edge thereof extending along theface of the lens, a clip adjacent an edge of the lens having a securingportion provided with an elongated groove opposite and registering withthe elongated groove in the lens, and a longitudinally movable retainingpin lying in said elongated grooves, the said grooves having entranceopenings large enough to enable the endwise insertion of the pin intothe groove when the clip is in position on the lens.

2. An ophthalmic lens having an elongated facial groove adjacent an edgethereof extending along the face of the lens, a clip adjacent an edge ofthe lens having portions embracing an edge portion of the lens andprovided with an elongated groove opposite and registering with theelongated groove in the lens, and a longitudinally movable retaining pinlying in said elongated grooves, the said grooves having entranceopenings large enough to enable the endwise insertion of the pin intothe groove when the clip is in position on the lens.

3. An ophthalmic lens having elongated facial grooves adjacent an edgethereof extending along the face of the lens, said-grooves extending atan oblique angle to each other, mounting means adjacent an edge of thelens having socuring portions provided with elongated grooves oppositeand registering with the elongated grooves in the lens, and elongatedremovable retaining pins lying in said elongatedgrooves, the saidgrooves having entrance. openings large enough to enable the endwiseinsertion of the pin into the groove when the securing portions are inposition on the lens.

4. An ophthalmic lens havingelongated facial grooves adjacent an edgethereof extending along the face of the lens, said grooves extendingnonparallel to each other, mounting means adjacent an edge of the lenshaving securing portions provided with elongated grooves opposite andregistering with the elongated grooves in the lens, and elongatedremovable retaining pins lying in said elongated grooves, the saidgrooves having entrance openings large enough to enable the endwiseinsertion of the pin into the groove when the securing portions are inposition on the lens.

onrvnn RUUD.

